NYPL Blogs: Blog Posts by Subject: Advertising/blog/subject/794
enLearn How to Advertise in Social Media: Part 1 of SIBL's Online Customer Acquisition Serieshttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2016/04/26/social-media-advertising
Helena Escalante, Business Outreach, Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL)<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Online Customer Acquisition Series at SIBL" class="media-element file-default" height="227" src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/OnlineCustomerAcquisitionSeries-Image.jpg" title="Online Customer Acquisition Series at SIBL" width="500" /></p>
<p>As we approach the start date (May 5, 2016) of our upcoming <a href="http://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2016/05/05/online-customer-acquisition-series-1-social-media-advertising-overview" target="_blank">Online Customer Acquisition Series</a>, we talked with our presenter <a href="http://maishawalker.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Maisha Walker</a>, and asked her to share with us a preview of what we will learn in <a href="http://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2016/05/05/online-customer-acquisition-series-1-social-media-advertising-overview" target="_blank">Part 1: Social Media Advertising Overview</a>. The 5-part series will run in the Spring and conclude in the Fall. All parts are geared to helping small businesses expand their online customer base.</p>
<figure class="caption caption caption" style="float:right"><img alt="Maisha Walker" class="media-element file-default" height="150" src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/MWalker-photo-closeup.jpg" title="Maisha Walker" width="150" /><figcaption>Maisha Walker</figcaption></figure><p>Maisha is the Founder and President of <a href="http://www.messagemedium.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Message Medium</a>, a digital marketing agency that helps successful brands harness the power of digital to achieve aggressive growth. Her column, <a href="http://www.inc.com/author/maisha-walker" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">“The Internet Strategist,”</a> is the highest trafficked blog on <em>Inc. Magazine</em>. She has been quoted and featured by such diverse brands as <em>Business Week</em>, Guy Kawasaki, the former editor of <em>Entrepreneur</em> magazine, the American Marketing Association and even Perez Hilton. She has toured the country with companies like Microsoft Bing, JP Morgan Chase, Deluxe, Capital One, and has been featured in <em>Forbes</em> Magazine, <em>Entrepreneur</em> Magazine, <em>Black Enterprise</em>, on Fox News, and on NBC news for her insights on Internet Marketing.</p>
<h2>Online Customer Acquisition Series</h2>
<h2>Part 1: Social Media Advertising Overview</h2>
<p><strong>Social media advertising is a powerful and (comparatively) inexpensive ally when targeting customers, but we’ve heard that it’s better to create organic traffic than to advertise, is this right? Doesn’t it take much longer to build organic traffic?</strong></p>
<p><span>Yes and yes! It’s always great to build organic traffic but it takes a lot longer and a lot more effort. Because of this on some platforms like Facebook, it can actually be more expensive to build organic traffic because of the time needed to create, curate and post content as well as encourage engagement. The reason it has become so difficult is that there are just so many people creating social media content. Sites like Facebook have changed their algorithm to control and prioritize what visitors see and posts from corporate Facebook pages have fallen very low on the priority list of what to show on each person’s news feed. Because of that, it’s very difficult to be visible using organic content alone. With advertised posts you have the ability to reach a definite number of your existing Facebook fans as well as a targeted group of Facebook users you can introduce to your business. Managing these campaigns can be time consuming and there are many layers of details in how to build the campaign for the best results, but for many businesses it’s well worth it.</span></p>
<p><strong>Which online platforms are best?</strong></p>
<p>Determining which platforms will give your business the best results is a critical early step in launching an effective digital marketing strategy. A general rule of thumb is that Facebook and Twitter are more effective for consumer, entertainment and retail products like clothing, while LinkedIn is more effective for business-to-business and career oriented products or services. Pinterest requires having strong visuals that are related to your products. YouTube can help you expand your reach to a younger audience and can include both text ads and full video ads if you have the resources to create them. Snapchat targets a younger audience almost exclusively and is generally cost prohibitive for most small businesses with minimums currently starting around $50,000. To help guide your decision, consider how you use each platform and what you personally respond to. Then think about your target audience. Are they like you? Different from you? If so, how? Don’t be afraid to hire a consultant to help you figure out where to invest your resources. The time and resources wasted on a platform that won’t deliver results for you is easily avoidable by working with an expert who can quickly assess the right strategy for you.</p>
<p><strong>What is considered a good online conversion rate?</strong></p>
<p>I think you want to first think about your click through rate—this is the percentage of people who clicked on your ad and arrived at your web site. Around 0.50% and 1.5% is a typical click through rate for online advertising. When someone reaches your web site and then takes an action you define as important—filling out an inquiry or contact form, subscribing to your email newsletter, calling your business, downloading an e-book or whitepaper—these are called conversions. Conversion rates vary widely depending on your industry. What are your conversion rates offline? If your ads are able to be well targeted, your online conversion rates should be comparable to or a little lower than your offline conversion rates. Calculating your click through and conversion rates is an important step toward understanding how profitable your web site and digital marketing are likely to be for you.</p>
<p><strong>How much time should one expect to go by before seeing results?</strong></p>
<p>This is a great question and is part of the reason online advertising can be so exciting. Depending on what you’re offering, how well your audience is targeted and how good your ad is, you can see results the day you launch your campaign! After twenty years in this industry it’s still thrilling when I see the traffic start rolling in for a client after we launch a new campaign for them. </p>
<p>However if this is your first campaign, even with a digital marketing consultant you’ll need some time to work out the quirks. With an expert I would give the campaign one to three months before seeing good results. If you’re on your own and just trying this for the first time I would give it four to seven months since you’ll need more time to understand the nuances of whichever platform you’re using, how to read your results, how to set up the peripheral content to support your campaign, and how to change and tweak your campaigns to achieve the results you’re looking for. You can spend a year or more tweaking it to achieve optimal results.</p>
Small Businesshttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2016/04/26/social-media-advertising#commentsTue, 26 Apr 2016 10:53:17 -0400Alice Live! on Televisionhttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2015/12/01/alice-live-tv
Barbara Cohen-Stratyner<div class="digcol-image align-center align-center">
<figure class="caption caption caption digcol-image"><a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/43ae03e0-f6ce-0130-a7d9-58d385a7bbd0"><img alt="LeGallienne as the White Queen" src="https://images.nypl.org/index.php?id=swope_621762&amp;t=w" width="400px" /></a>
<figcaption class="digcol-caption">Eva LeGallienne, as the White Queen in the 1982 revival of <em>Alice in Wonderland</em>.. Photograph by Martha Swope</figcaption></figure></div>
<p>In the mid-1950s, the networks and independent channels campaigned to establish television watching as a family activity. One of their methods was to develop dramatizations of well-known children’s stories. The best remembered examples include the annual broadcasts of the M-G-M <em>Wizard of Oz </em>and the musical <em>Peter Pan</em>. Please see my blogs in <a href="http://www.broadwayworld.com/topic/NY-Public-Library-for-the-Performing-Arts" rel="nofollow">BroadwayWorld</a> (<a href="http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/NY-Public-Librarys-Rosenberg-Curator-of-Exhibitions-Barbara-Cohen-Stratyner-Ph-D-on-Finding-THE-WIZ-20151123" rel="nofollow">http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/NY-Public-Librarys-Rosenberg-Curato...</a>) for additional information on the contemporary NBC live broadcasts.</p>
<p>In the 1954 and 1955 seasons, two lavish productions of <em>Alice in Wonderland </em>were premiered on television. In each case, they were developed to attract families to the presenting series and their sponsors. Like almost all television then, they were live and therefore eligible to be featured in our current exhibition <a href="http://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/alice-live"><em>Alice Live! </em></a>(in the Oenslager Gallery through January 16, 2016).</p>
<p>Our guest curator/scholar Charlie Lovett discovered the 1954 production, which featured Edgar Bergen and his ventriloquist character Charlie McCarthy. The sponsor, Kraft Foods, used it to promote Bergen’s transition from radio to television and the exhibited script specifies that a Cheese Whiz commercial preceded the 2nd Act. Robin Morgan played the title character. It was written by Phyllis Merrill, one of the premiere women in advertising and television. Working for J. Walter Thompson, she can be seen as a model for <em>Mad Men</em>’s Peggy and Joan. Her advertising and television papers are fascinating reading. <a href="http://archives.nypl.org/the/21483">Phyllis Merrill Papers, Billy Rose Theatre Division</a>.</p>
<p>In 1955, <em>Hallmark Hall of Fame</em> broadcast its own <em>Alice in Wonderland</em>, adapted by Florida Freibus from the Frebus/Le Gallienne dramatization, which combines elements from both Alice plots. It was narrated and directed by Maurice Evans. The script, rehearsal schedule and production notes are included in the Maurice Evans Papers. Serendipity alert: We discovered them while investigating his mid-1950s productions of <em>The Magic Flute</em> and <em>The Tempest </em>for next Spring’s exhibitions. As in most television from the early decades, the commercials were written in to the scripts, so we know that Hallmark was promoting packages of favors for children’s parties. Charlie Lovett actually had some examples of Hallmark’s paper Alice masks. Once we verified the existence and schedule for the broadcast, the BRTD staff and volunteers helped to identify a set of NBC contact sheets with Tennial inspired costumes, which documents the rehearsals and mid-1950s special effects. Under a magnifier, we could even see Eva LeGallienne costumed as the White Queen hooked into a rig that allowed her to fly onto the set. <a href="http://archives.nypl.org/the/21297">Run-down and script page, Maurice Evans Papers, Billy Rose Theatre Division</a>.</p>
Advertisinghttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2015/12/01/alice-live-tv#commentsTue, 01 Dec 2015 11:56:16 -0500Back in the U.S.S.R.: The Color Red in Early Advertisinghttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2015/11/30/color-red-early-advertising
Bogdan Horbal, Head, Technical Processing, Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL)<div style="text-align:center">
<figure class="caption caption caption"><img height="236" width="199" class="media-element file-default" src="https://d140u095r09w96.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/Art_in_advertising_feb_1895_0.jpg" alt="" /><figcaption><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b11882310~S1">Art in Advertising</a>, 1895</figcaption></figure></div>
<p>Green, as you know, is the color of money. Red is for everything else, or at least it may seem so from the way it was used in early advertisements. Red, indeed, has been described to have all sorts of functions. From being “ultimate cure to sadness”—according to American fashion designer <a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/search~S1?/dBlass%2C+Bill./dblass+bill/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/exact&amp;FF=dblass+bill&amp;1%2C4%2C">William Ralph "Bill" Blass</a>—to the color which suggests excitement, strength, vitality, and aggressiveness. It was also noted that red is supposedly great for boldness and accents. The most emotionally intense color, red apparently stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. Have we left anything out? Oh, yes there is plenty of red around Christmas time and red also signifies love.</p>
<div style="text-align:center">
<figure class="caption caption caption"><img height="437" width="270" class="media-element file-default" src="https://d140u095r09w96.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/The_National_electrical_contractor_1914_t_p%20%282%29.jpg" alt="" /><figcaption><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b11974062~S1">The National Electrical Contractor</a>, 1914</figcaption></figure></div>
<p>In <a href="http://ezproxy.nypl.org/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.s.ezproxy.nypl.org/docview/430589081?accountid=35635">an article published in July 30 1996 issue</a> of <a href="http://tm9qt7lg9g.search.serialssolutions.com/?V=1.0&amp;N=100&amp;L=TM9QT7LG9G&amp;S=AC_T_B&amp;C=new+york+times" rel="nofollow"><em>The New York Times</em></a>, Jennifer Steinhauer pointed out that while red means "don't touch it,” at the same time it encourages endless consumption. She also added that red does not make only human consumers happy. Not specified by name, a company at that time marketed red contact lenses for… animals and claimed that chickens that spent the day wearing their lenses were happier and ate less food, and had more time for laying eggs. There you go!</p>
<p>What’s next? Red lenses for humans?</p>
<div style="text-align:center">
<figure class="caption caption caption"><img height="398" width="300" class="media-element file-default" src="https://d140u095r09w96.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/Power_wagon_1914_1.jpg" alt="" /><figcaption><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b12026188~S1">Power Wagon</a>, 1914</figcaption></figure></div>
<p>Perhaps not, but did you know that red is the most popular color? Well, actually it’s not. In 2002 article “Color by Numbers” which appeared in <em><a href="http://tm9qt7lg9g.search.serialssolutions.com/?V=1.0&amp;N=100&amp;L=TM9QT7LG9G&amp;S=AC_T_B&amp;C=american+demographics" rel="nofollow">American Demographics</a></em>, results of a nationwide poll conducted by New York City-based BuzzBack were discussed. The main finding was that blue was our favorite color no matter whether one is black, white, Hispanic or Asian (Wallace J. Nichols’s book <em><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/search~S1?/tBlue+Mind/tblue+mind/1%2C3%2C4%2CB/exact&amp;FF=tblue+mind+the+surprising+science+that+shows+how+being+near+in+on+or+under+water+can+make+you+happier+healthier+more+connected&amp;1%2C2%2C/indexsort=-">Blue Mind</a></em> does make sense). The same poll indicated that the second most favorite color varied by race but it was not red for any of them!</p>
<p>So if it’s not “Red Mind” why bother with this color so much? One of the reasons is that red has had a huge impact value as an attention getter, according to Laraine Turner, former president of the <a href="http://www.colormarketing.org/" rel="nofollow">Color Marketing Group</a>, a not-for-profit, international association of color design professionals involved in the use of color as it applies to the profitable marketing of goods and services. In other words, members of this association interpret, create, forecast, and select colors in order to enhance the function, salability and quality of manufactured goods.</p>
<p>Unfortunately musicians are not of much help here. “Back in the U.S.S.R.” was the opening song of the so called <a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/search~S1?/tWhite+Album/twhite+album/1%2C3%2C15%2CB/exact&amp;FF=twhite+album&amp;1%2C13%2C/indexsort=-">White Album,</a> thus contributing to the ever-lasting struggle to determine which color is the right one. <a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/search~S1/?searchtype=X&amp;searcharg=Lady+gaga&amp;searchscope=1&amp;sortdropdown=-&amp;SORT=DZ&amp;extended=0&amp;SUBMIT=Search&amp;searchlimits=&amp;searchorigarg=XLady+agag%26SORT%3DD">Lady Gaga</a>, on the other hand, described confusion when it comes to red itself when she said: “<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jan/21/lady-gaga-interview-fame" rel="nofollow">If I decide to make a coat red in the show, it's not just red, I think: is it communist red? Is it cherry cordial? Is it ruby red? Or is it apple red? Or the big red balloon red?</a>”</p>
<figure class="caption caption caption" style="float:left"><img height="361" width="253" class="media-element file-default" src="https://d140u095r09w96.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/Shields_39_magazine_1912_faces.jpg" alt="" /><figcaption><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b16570714~S1">Shields' Magazine</a>, 1912</figcaption></figure><figure class="caption caption caption"><img height="362" width="245" class="media-element file-default" src="https://d140u095r09w96.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/Shields_39_magazine_1911_faces_0.jpg" alt="" /><figcaption><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b16570714~S1">Shields' Magazine</a>, 1911</figcaption></figure><p>So once again: why red? It may very well be that it was the least expensive color to produce. It does not hurt, however, that according to the mentioned-above nationwide poll red is preferred by achievers, high-powered, active women, the most economically stable, and the most secure. Don’t we want to be in at least one of these groups?</p>
<figure class="caption caption caption" style="float:left"><img height="338" width="250" class="media-element file-default" src="https://d140u095r09w96.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/The_Hardware_reporter_1913_t_p%20%281%29%20M.jpg" alt="" /><figcaption><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b12371597~S1">The Hardware Reporter</a>, 1913</figcaption></figure><figure class="caption caption caption"><img height="334" width="250" class="media-element file-default" src="https://d140u095r09w96.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/American_cloak_and_suit_review_1914_hand.jpg" alt="" /><figcaption><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b11957762~S1">American Cloak and Suit Review</a>, 1914</figcaption></figure><p>If one needed a different, somewhat “scientific” explanation why ads use(d) so much red it’s probably for the same reason why fire trucks are red. I do not know who is the author of this text (you are a genius!) which is all over the Internet but here is the explanation:</p>
<p>“Because there's eight wheels on them and four people, and four plus eight is twelve, and twelve is a foot and a foot is a ruler, and <a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-de53-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99">Queen Elizabeth</a> was a ruler, and <a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-382a-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99">Queen Elizabeth</a> was also a ship, and the ship sails the sea and in the sea is <a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/search~S1?/dFishes./dfishes/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/exact&amp;FF=dfishes&amp;1%2C-1%2C/indexsort=r">fish</a> and <a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/search/index?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;keywords=fish">fish </a>have fins, and the <a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/search~S1?/dRusso-Finnish+War%2C+1939-1940/drusso+finnish+war+1939+1940/1%2C59%2C313%2CB/exact&amp;FF=drusso+finnish+war+1939+1940&amp;1%2C-1%2C/indexsort=r">Finns fought the Russians</a> and the <a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/search~S1?/dRussia+--+History+--+20th+century./drussia+history+++20th+century/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/frameset&amp;FF=drussia+history+++20th+century&amp;5%2C%2C48/indexsort=r">Russians were red</a> and that's why <a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/search~S1?/dFire+engines./dfire+engines/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/frameset&amp;FF=dfire+engines&amp;1%2C%2C50/indexsort=r">fire trucks</a> are red.”</p>
<div style="text-align:center">
<figure class="caption caption caption"><img height="389" width="250" class="media-element file-default" src="https://d140u095r09w96.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/Tractor_and_gas_engine_review_1919_background_0.jpg" alt="" /><figcaption><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b11984606~S1">Tractor and Gas Engine Review</a>, 1919</figcaption></figure></div>
<p>In other words:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VlBuJmgowc" rel="nofollow">I'm back in the U.S.S.R</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHD5nd3QLTg" rel="nofollow">.</a><br />
You don't know how lucky you are, boy<br />
Back in the U.S.S.R.<br />
lalalalalalalalala….</p>
<figure class="caption caption caption" style="float:left"><img height="351" width="242" class="media-element file-default" src="https://d140u095r09w96.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/The_Rambler_Magazine_1905_0.jpg" alt="" /><figcaption><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b12375571~S1">The Rambler Magazine</a>, 1905</figcaption></figure><figure class="caption caption caption" style="float:left"><img height="350" width="254" class="media-element file-default" src="https://d140u095r09w96.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/Dry_goods_guide_1915_t_pM_2.jpg" alt="" /><figcaption><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b12031784~S1">Dry Goods Guide</a>, 1915</figcaption></figure>Image Collectionshttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2015/11/30/color-red-early-advertising#commentsMon, 30 Nov 2015 11:46:51 -0500Untapped E-Resources: American Broadsides and Ephemerahttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2015/08/11/american-broadsides-and-ephemera-rebus
Meredith Mann, Manuscripts and Archives Division, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building<p>What is this curious artifact of daily life in 19th century America?</p>
<div style="text-align:center">
<figure class="caption caption caption"><img alt="Rebus from advertisement for R.C. Sawdey &amp;amp; Co." class="media-element file-default" height="493" src="https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/Sawdeys%20Rebus%20Excerpt.jpg" title="Rebus from advertisement for R.C. Sawdey &amp;amp; Co." width="600" /><figcaption>Rebus, forming part of an advertisement for R.C. Sawdey &amp; Co.'s Boots and Shoes, Coldwater, Michigan, 1869</figcaption></figure></div>
<p>It's a rebus—a puzzle where symbols, words, and letters spell out a message for the patient decoder. This particular rebus dates to 1869 and forms part of an advertisement for R.C. Sawdey &amp; Co.'s Boots and Shoes in Michigan. It was a sort of promotional contest: the first six respondents to submit the rebus's solution would win a free pair of shoes. Try to solve it yourself, <a href="http://www.nypl.org/blog/2015/08/11/rebus-solution" target="_blank">and then compare your answer to mine</a>. (Sadly, unlike a modern crossword puzzle, answers were not subsequently published.) This rebus, meant to be carried around, written on, and discarded shortly thereafter, is an example of ephemera.</p>
<figure class="caption caption caption" style="float:right"><img alt="Playbill for Boston Museum performance starring John Wilkes Booth, 1863" class="media-element file-default" height="488" src="https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/booth_0.png" title="Playbill for Boston Museum performance starring John Wilkes Booth, 1863" width="200" /><figcaption>Playbill for a Boston Museum theater performance starring John Wilkes Booth, 1863</figcaption></figure><p>Ephemera is a wonderful thing. The term describes anything intended for temporary use, but libraries and other cultural heritage institutions have ensured the long-term survival of many ephemeral objects, like tweets (<a href="http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2010/04/how-tweet-it-is-library-acquires-entire-twitter-archive/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">the Library of Congress</a>), Chipotle cups (<a href="http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/about/blogs/yale-collection-american-literature/2015/06/22/new-collection-cultivating-thought-series" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Yale's Beinecke Library</a>), and menus (<a href="http://menus.nypl.org/" target="_blank">us!</a>). Broadsides—documents printed on a single sheet of paper and typically hung as a poster—are often grouped with ephemera. NYPL's broadside collection includes the first ever printing and <a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/8c13998e-c808-af3d-e040-e00a18063c6e" target="_blank">first New York printing</a> of the Declaration of Independence and <a href="http://www.nypl.org/blog/2015/04/06/union-remembers-lincoln" target="_blank">John Wilkes Booth's wanted poster</a>.</p>
<p>For researchers, ephemera suggests a more fully-realized picture of a historical era. We may know what Abraham Lincoln was writing in 1862, but what was he eating? Wearing? Seeing? Ephemeral objects offer us glimpses of these day-to-day realities. For teachers, ephemera provides succint primary sources for students to read, analyze, and compare. But working with physical examples of ephemera presents certain challenges. They're difficult to describe thoroughly in library catalogs, and researchers may want to quickly look through many examples of a given type of ephemera. Teachers would ideally like multiple copies of a document to distribute in class, which could then be annotated by their students.</p>
<p>That is why I selected <a href="http://www.nypl.org/collections/articles-databases/american-broadsides-and-ephemera" target="_blank">American Broadsides and Ephemera</a> to be the first installment in my Untapped E-Resources blog series. Through this series, I hope to bring attention to some of our online resources that hold valuable content, yet may be flying under many people's radar.</p>
<p>Digitized from the collections of the American Antiquarian Society, American Broadsides and Ephemera contains 30,000 fully text-searchable objects dating from 1749 to 1900. Civil War-era material is particularly robust. As a NewsBank/Readex product, you can access this database on its own, or as a part of <a href="http://www.nypl.org/collections/articles-databases/america%E2%80%99s-historical-imprints" target="_blank">America's Historical Imprints</a>, which brings in access to over 75,000 other historical books, pamphlets, and printed material from 1640 to 1820. Either platform is well-suited to browsing by genre of document (almanacs, calendars, obituaries, etc.), searching full text, and limiting results to a certain date range. You can access these resources at any NYPL library computer, or while logged on to library Wi-Fi.</p>
<p>For those just starting out, I have some favorite genres that are good places to begin researching period-specific ephemera. For a culinary perspective, try Cookbooks (look in America's Historical Imprints for this one) and Menus, where you can find gems like the first bacon recipe authored by an American:</p>
<blockquote>
<div>To make the best Bacon.</div>
<div>To each ham put one ouce saltpetre, one pint bay salt, one pint molasses, shake together 6 or 8 weeks, or when a large quantity is together, bast them with the liquor every day; when taken out to dry, smoke three weeks with cobs or malt fumes. To every ham may be added a cheek, if you stow away a barrel and not alter the composition, some add a shoulder. For transportation or exportation, double the period of smoaking.<br />
(Source: Amelia Simmons, <em>American Cookery</em>, Hartford: Hudson &amp; Goodwin, 1796.)</div>
</blockquote>
<div>Or, try Concert Programs, Playbills, Programs, and Songs to get a feel for the arts and entertainment of a particular time period.
<div style="text-align:center">
<figure class="caption caption caption"><img alt="1837 concert advertisement printed in Boston line" class="media-element file-default" height="212" src="https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/concert.PNG" title="1837 concert advertisement printed in Boston line" /><figcaption>Concert advertisement printed in a braille contemporary known as Boston line, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1837</figcaption></figure></div>
<p>Advertisements and Advertising Cards reveal the goods and services on offer at various points in America's history, from spyglasses to chocolates to libraries. One shopkeeper's strategy? "Buy worth a Dollar when you come, / And you may drink a glass of RUM."</p>
<figure class="caption caption caption" style="float:left"><img alt="Advertising card for Lydia Learned, c. 1770" class="media-element file-default" height="440" src="https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/lydia%20learned.png" title="Advertising card for Lydia Learned, c. 1770" /><figcaption>Advertising card for Lydia Learned, c. 1770</figcaption></figure><figure class="caption caption caption"><img alt="Advertisement for circulating music library at Maiden Lane, New York City, late 18th century" class="media-element file-default" height="440" src="https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/music%20library.png" title="Advertisement for circulating music library at Maiden Lane, New York City, late 18th century" width="300" /><figcaption>Advertising card for circulating music library at Maiden Lane, New York City, late 18th century</figcaption></figure><p>There's no telling what you might find in American Broadsides and Ephemera, whether you pursue a more focused search strategy or just fall down the rabbit hole for a while. (Which, if you can't tell, is what happened to me while writing this post!) <a href="http://www.nypl.org/collections/articles-databases/american-broadsides-and-ephemera" target="_blank">See for yourself what treasures await</a>, and share what you find in the comments!</p>
<p><em>Image Credits: American Antiquarian Society and NewsBank, Inc.</em>
</p></div>
Historyhttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2015/08/11/american-broadsides-and-ephemera-rebus#commentsTue, 11 Aug 2015 15:58:45 -0400Fashion Advertising A Hundred Years Agohttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2014/08/20/fashion-advertising-1914
Bogdan Horbal, Head, Technical Processing, Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL)<p><img alt="" height="300" src="https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/The_Clothier_and_furnisher_1914_man_of_the_B_6.jpg" style="float:right" width="207" />1914 was a very eventful year. Needless to say, it is best known for the outbreak of the Great War which claimed lives of more then 16 million people. That year began, however, on a positive note. In January <a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b16830339~S1">Ford Motor Company</a> announced an eight-hour workday and a daily wage of $5. In February <a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/search/index?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;keywords=charlie+chaplin">Charlie Chaplin</a> made his film debut in the comedy short (coincidentally?) entitled "Making a Living". In other show business news <a href="https://browse.nypl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb20060622?lang=eng">the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers</a> was established to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members. While the broader issue of copyright continues to be challenging to this day there is also one other event from 1914 that impacts us. In May of that year Woodrow Wilson signed a Mother's Day proclamation. Although during the early summer these positive developments were overshadowed by the murder of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife and the subsequent war the United States did not join the world-wide struggle before April of 1917.</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="" height="448" src="https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/The_Clothier_and_furnisher_1914_why_1.jpg" width="296" /></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="" height="448" src="https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/American_cloak_and_suit_review_1914_store_1.jpg" width="268" /></p>
<p>Although on August 1, 1914 <a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/search/index?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;keywords=new+york+stock+exchange">New York Stock Exchange</a> closed due to the war in Europe, the United States was not yet much affected by the war. In September <a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-b092-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99">The U.S. Federal Trade Commission</a> was established and in November the <a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/search/index?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;keywords=federal+reserve+bank&amp;view=simple&amp;last_keyword=#/?scroll=0">Federal Reserve Bank</a> of the United States officially opened for business. In December The New York Stock Exchange re-opened and it appeared that America was open for business which obviously required <a href="https://browse.nypl.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sd:(Marketing )">marketing</a>.</p>
<p><img class="media-element file-default" src="https://d140u095r09w96.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/The_Clothier_and_furnisher_1914_tie_3_6.jpg" alt="" /><img class="media-element file-default" src="https://d140u095r09w96.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/The_Clothier_and_furnisher_1914_tie_2_5.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><img class="media-element file-default" src="https://d140u095r09w96.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/The_Clothier_and_furnisher_1914_tie_1_2.jpg" alt="" /><img class="media-element file-default" src="https://d140u095r09w96.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/The_Clothier_and_furnisher_1914_tie_4_3.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Merchant <a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-aff7-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99">John Wanamaker</a> (1838–1922) who is considered by some to be a pioneer in marketing, once said "Half the money that I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don't know which half." So creative experimenting continued, including the usage of color in magazine ads. After all, as <a href="https://browse.nypl.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sd:(McLuhan, Marshall, 1911-1980)">Marshall McLuhan</a> (1911-1980) claimed, advertising was the greatest art form of the 20th century. Some would argue that it was a great art form already at the beginning of the 20th century although color was used back then only sparsely.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="" height="448" src="https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/The_Clothier_and_furnisher_1914_cpens_1.jpg" width="292" /></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="" height="448" src="https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/Dry_goods_guide_1914_1.jpg" width="300" /></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="" class="media-element file-default" src="https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/The_Clothier_and_furnisher_1914_collar_funny_1.jpg" /></p>
<p>In his 1951 book <em><a href="https://browse.nypl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb19962880?lang=eng">The Mechanical Bride: Folklore of Industrial Man</a></em> McLuhan opened each of the chapters with a newspaper or magazine article or an advertisement which he later analyzed for its aesthetic value and implications behind the imagery and text. I will not do that here and I'm not asking you to do that. However, I hope that you will at least enjoy looking at theses ads that appeared in 1914 issues of <em><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b11957762~S1">American Cloak and Suit Review</a></em>, <em><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b12031784~S1">Dry Goods Guide</a>, </em>and <em><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b12377773~S1">The Clothier and Furnisher</a></em>. There are many more old ads to look at in many other trade journals digitized by Google from our collections and available via our catalog. <a href="https://browse.nypl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb20257161?lang=eng">David Mackenzie Ogilvy</a> (1911-1999) also known as "The Father of Advertising" warned that "Advertising people who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore decodes of enemy signals." When it comes to advertising, the enemy—it seems—is always at the gates. Happy browsing!</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="" height="440" src="https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/American_cloak_and_suit_review_1914_2A_1.jpg" width="336" /></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="" height="442" src="https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/American_cloak_and_suit_review_1914_2B_1.jpg" width="336" /></p>
<p> </p>
Advertisinghttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2014/08/20/fashion-advertising-1914#commentsWed, 20 Aug 2014 16:02:40 -0400Treasures, Oddities and Ephemera: 3-D Objects from Billy Rose Theatre Division’s Theatre Cabinetshttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2013/10/18/treasures-oddities-and-ephemera-3d-objects-theatre-division
Amy Schwegel<p>The Theatre Cabinets (or T-Cabinets as we call them) of the <a href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/lpa/billy-rose-theatre-division">Billy Rose Theatre Division</a> are packed full of objects large and small. The cabinets are a repository for all the three-dimensional items that have accompanied our larger collections or have been given to the division separately as a gift. I absolutely love the T-cabinets. Being hidden in the back of a locked cage and full of mysterious items is only part of the allure. The other part is the extreme variety of the items themselves.</p>
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<p>I have tried to highlight this diversity in a two-case exhibit entitled Treasures, Oddities and Ephemera: 3-D Objects from Billy Rose Theatre Division's Theatre Cabinets located on the third floor of the <a href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/lpa">Library for the Performing Arts</a>. I was familiar with a few items from the cabinets as we had used them in a 2006 <a href="http://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/stars-and-treasures-75-years-collecting-theatre">exhibit</a> celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Theatre Division and while we have a basic inventory of the contents, I soon found out that what sounded interesting on paper was not and vice versa! I realized I had to go through the cabinets piece by piece in order to discover the true nature of the objects and the exhibit is the result of my treasure hunt.</p>
<p>I was already aware of the more priceless objects of the cabinets including:</p>
<p><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/images/14-tcabinet_018.inline vertical.jpg" alt="An enameled belt belonging to actress Sarah Bernhardt and supposedly worn while portraying Cleopatra" title="An enameled belt belonging to actress Sarah Bernhardt and supposedly worn while portraying Cleopatra" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" width="300" height="128" /><span class="caption caption caption" style="border:1px solid #000000">An enameled belt belonging to actress Sarah Bernhardt and supposedly worn while portraying Cleopatra</span></span><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/images/06-tcabinet_033.inline vertical.jpg" alt="A delicate, sequined fan used by Mary Ellis as the title character in Rose-Marie (1924), from the Mary Ellis Papers" title="A delicate, sequined fan used by Mary Ellis as the title character in Rose-Marie (1924), from the Mary Ellis Papers" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" width="300" height="236" /><span class="caption caption caption" style="border:1px solid #000000">A delicate, sequined fan used by Mary Ellis as the title character in Rose-Marie (1924), from the Mary Ellis Papers</span></span></p>
<p>Aside from the treasures, I never knew what I would pull out from the archival envelopes and was delighted to discover:</p>
<p><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/images/07-tcabinet_032.inline vertical.jpg" alt="Craddock&#039;s Soap Theatrical playing cards, published in 1895 by the Eureka Soap Co., highlighting prominent theatrical actors and actresses of the time while also promoting “the best soap made”" title="Craddock&#039;s Soap Theatrical playing cards, published in 1895 by the Eureka Soap Co., highlighting prominent theatrical actors and actresses of the time while also promoting “the best soap made”" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" width="300" height="226" /><span class="caption caption caption" style="border:1px solid #000000">Craddock's Soap Theatrical playing cards, published in 1895 by the Eureka Soap Co., highlighting prominent theatrical actors and actresses of the time while also promoting “the best soap made”</span></span><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/images/13-tcabinet_020.inline vertical.jpg" alt="A charming sketch of actress Gertrude Lawrence that was given by the star to director Arthur Sircum in 1950 on opening night of Traveller’s Joy at Cape Playhouse, Massachusetts. Lawrence was playing the part of Bumble and signed her name as “Gee”. There is a 1945 penny in the purse!" title="A charming sketch of actress Gertrude Lawrence that was given by the star to director Arthur Sircum in 1950 on opening night of Traveller’s Joy at Cape Playhouse, Massachusetts. Lawrence was playing the part of Bumble and signed her name as “Gee”. There is a 1945 penny in the purse!" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" width="225" height="300" /><span class="caption caption caption" style="border:1px solid #000000">A charming sketch of actress Gertrude Lawrence that was given by the star to director Arthur Sircum in 1950 on opening night of Traveller’s Joy at Cape Playhouse, Massachusetts. Lawrence was playing the part of Bumble and signed her name as “Gee”. There is a 1945 penny in the purse!</span></span><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/images/12-tcabinet_023.inline vertical.jpg" alt="A tunnel book peep-show souvenir from the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City" title="A tunnel book peep-show souvenir from the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" width="300" height="225" /><span class="caption caption caption" style="border:1px solid #000000">A tunnel book peep-show souvenir from the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City</span></span></p>
<p>And then there were the more unusual objects such as:</p>
<p><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/images/10-tcabinet_026.inline vertical.jpg" alt="A lock of hair belonging to actor Edwin Booth, entwined around his portrait along with pressed pansies from his casket, from the collection of his daughter, Edwina Booth Grossman" title="A lock of hair belonging to actor Edwin Booth, entwined around his portrait along with pressed pansies from his casket, from the collection of his daughter, Edwina Booth Grossman" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" width="300" height="225" /><span class="caption caption caption" style="border:1px solid #000000">A lock of hair belonging to actor Edwin Booth, entwined around his portrait along with pressed pansies from his casket, from the collection of his daughter, Edwina Booth Grossman</span></span><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/images/01-tcabinet_037.inline vertical.jpg" alt="A wig piece belonging to actor Zero Mostel from the Zero and Kate Mostel Papers" title="A wig piece belonging to actor Zero Mostel from the Zero and Kate Mostel Papers" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" width="300" height="229" /><span class="caption caption caption" style="border:1px solid #000000">A wig piece belonging to actor Zero Mostel from the Zero and Kate Mostel Papers</span></span>Finally, the last object I found was the best of all. Wrapped up in the very back of a cabinet, was a huge, tarnished, silver platter. No one knew it was there, in fact no one knew it existed at all. The inscription was the clue: "To Brooks Atkinson With Love March 2, 1958." But what was the plate in honor of? That date was not significant in Atkinson's long career as a theatre critic and columnist.</p>
<p>I turned to the <a href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/lpa/billy-rose-theatre-division">Theatre Division</a>'s massive clippings files and found a delightful Time magazine article in Atkinson's own file describing a surprise party for Atkinson "given with love, to let Brooks know what theater people think of him." Helen Hayes presented the plate to Atkinson, Mary Martin sang "A Wonderful Guy" to him accompanied by Richard Rodgers on the piano, and the 130 guests (all of their signatures are on the plate) read like a Who's Who of theatre. Even Marilyn Monroe's name is there, as she was married to playwright Arthur Miller at the time. We surmise that the plate came to us with the <a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b12067094~S1">Brooks Atkinson Papers</a> and after years of being hidden away, it is now polished and hanging on the wall over the exhibit cases. <span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/images/11-tcabinet_025.inline vertical.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" width="300" height="225" /></span>This exhibit is but a small sampling of the many three-dimensional objects the Theatre Division holds. Please visit the <a href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/lpa">Library for the Performing Arts</a>—you never know what you will find!</p>Advertisinghttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2013/10/18/treasures-oddities-and-ephemera-3d-objects-theatre-division#commentsFri, 18 Oct 2013 02:02:26 -0400Historical Automobile Catalogs at NYPL: Early Advertising at Work and Playhttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2013/09/05/historical-automobile-catalogs-advertising
Kenneth Johnson, Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL)<p><a href="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/oliver0001.jpg" rel="nofollow"><span class="inline inline inline-left inline-left"><img alt="" class="image image image-img_assist_custom" height="200" src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/images/oliverthumb.img_assist_custom.jpg" title="" width="150" /></span></a>First they invented the automobile. Then... marketing: How are we going to sell these things?</p>
<p>One marketing tool was the catalog. And that gives a good opening to briefly talk about NYPL's extensive collection of historical automobile catalogs, which can be found at <a href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/sibl">SIBL</a>.</p>
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<p><span class="inline inline inline-right inline-right"><a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-074a-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99" title="[The Kissel cars on various roads.] , Digital ID 1163623, New York Public Library"><img alt="[The Kissel cars on various roads.] , Digital ID 1163623, New York Public Library" height="300" src="https://images.nypl.org/?id=1163623&amp;t=w" title="[The Kissel cars on various roads.] , Digital ID 1163623, New York Public Library" width="182" /></a></span>First, let me mention two existing resources on the NYPL website for automobile catalogs:</p>
<ul><li>From the Digital Gallery: <a href="http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/dgexplore.cfm?col_id=153">Taking the Wheel: Manufacturers' Catalogs from the First Decade of American Automobiles</a>. This is a collection guide, with a description of the digitized collection of catalogs from 1909, (a list of collection contents can be found <a href="http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgtitle_tree.cfm?level=1&amp;title_id=454055">here</a>, with some additional materials <a href="http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgtitle_tree.cfm?level=1&amp;title_id=452126">here</a>).</li>
<li>From our <a href="http://www.nypl.org/collections/nypl-recommendations/guides/historical-auto-catalogs">Research Guides: Historical Automobile Catalogs</a> - an alphabetical index to manufacturers catalogs from the pamphlet volumes starting with catalog number 3-TON n.c. (Another series of pamphlet volumes has call numbers starting with 3-TOP p.v. It is from this series most of the digital gallery images come).</li>
</ul><p>For the rest of this post, I thought I'd highlight three of the catalogs in the collection—identify the manufacturer and models, and pull out some descriptive copy from the catalog. Plus, a link to the catalog in "book" form on NYPL's new <a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/">digital collections browser</a> (an interesting feature of the new interface). Before I start the list, I just want to point out that the digitized versions are selections from the catalog, focusing on images of the automobiles. The text I'm including is from the original hard copy.</p>
<p>Update -- A listing of some of these automobile catalog pamphlets can be found in our <a href="http://www.nypl.org/node/253596">research guides</a>.</p>
<hr /><p><span class="inline inline inline-center inline-center"><a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-0000-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99" title="The American Wayfarer; Five passenger; Four cylinder, 50-60 h. p., $ 3,750., Digital ID 1159849, New York Public Library"><img alt="The American Wayfarer; Five passenger; Four cylinder, 50-60 h. p., $ 3,750., Digital ID 1159849, New York Public Library" height="211" src="https://images.nypl.org/?id=1159849&amp;t=w" title="The American Wayfarer; Five passenger; Four cylinder, 50-60 h. p., $ 3,750., Digital ID 1159849, New York Public Library" width="300" /></a></span><br /><br /><strong>The American.</strong> 1909. American Motor Car Company, Indianapolis, Indiana<br />
Models available in 1909: Speedster, Limousine, Tourist, Traveler, Roadster, Wayfarer, Gadabout<br /><a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47dd-ffeb-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99/book?parent=01c318e0-c5ed-012f-eb85-58d385a7bc34#page/1/mode/2up">Book</a><br />
Call Number 3-TOP p.v. 47, No. 1<br />
Source Description: 1 v. : col. ill. ; 23 cm.</p>
<p><span class="inline inline inline-center inline-center"><a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47dd-fff5-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99" title="The American Roadster; Two or three passenger; Four cylinder, 50 - 60 h.p., $ 3,750., Digital ID 1159839, New York Public Library"><img alt="The American Roadster; Two or three passenger; Four cylinder, 50 - 60 h.p., $ 3,750., Digital ID 1159839, New York Public Library" height="248" src="https://images.nypl.org/?id=1159839&amp;t=w" title="The American Roadster; Two or three passenger; Four cylinder, 50 - 60 h.p., $ 3,750., Digital ID 1159839, New York Public Library" width="300" /></a></span></p>
<blockquote>
<p>At the very outset we want you to differentiate The American in your mind from any other car in which you have ever ridden.<br />
If this sense of difference is not apparent to you with the first ride you take in the American Roadster - we agree to abandon all claim on your consideration.<br />
We are speaking now particularly of the American Roadster, because this car embodies certain pronounced structural departures from accepted usage which establish it in a class by itself. ...</p>
</blockquote>
<hr /><p><span class="inline inline inline-center inline-center"><a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-075a-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99" title=" $ 1,800 regular., Digital ID 1163639, New York Public Library"><img alt=" $ 1,800 regular., Digital ID 1163639, New York Public Library" height="189" src="https://images.nypl.org/?id=1163639&amp;t=w" title=" $ 1,800 regular., Digital ID 1163639, New York Public Library" width="300" /></a></span></p>
<p><strong>The Kissel Kar.</strong> 1909. The Kissel Motor Car Company, Hartford, Wisconsin<br />
Models available in 1909: D-9 (Touring Car, Limousine), E-9 (Roadster, Coupe, Baby Tonneau, Touring Car, Limousine), G-9 (Roadster, Coupe, Baby Tonneau, Semi-Racer, Touring Car), LD-9 (Touring Car, Baby Tonneau, Coupe, Roadster)<br /><a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-0747-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99/book?parent=93911a90-c5ed-012f-9f4d-58d385a7bc34#page/1/mode/2up">Book</a><br />
Call Number 3-TOP p.v. 43, No. 1<br />
Source Description: 1 v. : col. ill. ; 23 cm.</p>
<p><span class="inline inline inline-center inline-center"><a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-0756-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99" title=" $ 3,000 regular, double ignition including magneto., Digital ID 1163635, New York Public Library"><img alt=" $ 3,000 regular, double ignition including magneto., Digital ID 1163635, New York Public Library" height="202" src="https://images.nypl.org/?id=1163635&amp;t=w" title=" $ 3,000 regular, double ignition including magneto., Digital ID 1163635, New York Public Library" width="300" /></a></span></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Kissel Kar for 1909 is the development and refinement of the preceding model. The principle is unchanged. The manufacturing of Kissel Kars has reached a stage where the entire organization is concentrated on refinement and betterment of detail, simplifying of some important unit, or making some improvement for the safety and comfort of the user and all with the end in view of continuing to make the Kissel Kar the BEST car for the money. Others may cost more. None can give better service.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr /><p><span class="inline inline inline-center inline-center"><a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-07ef-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99" title="Pennsylvania type &quot;F Six&quot; automobile., Digital ID 1163726, New York Public Library"><img alt="Pennsylvania type &quot;F Six&quot; automobile., Digital ID 1163726, New York Public Library" height="163" src="https://images.nypl.org/?id=1163726&amp;t=w" title="Pennsylvania type &quot;F Six&quot; automobile., Digital ID 1163726, New York Public Library" width="300" /></a></span></p>
<p><strong>Pennsylvania.</strong> 1909. Pennsylvania Auto Motor Company, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania<br />
Models available in 1909: Type "D", Type "C 50", Type "E 50"<br /><a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-07e9-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99/book?parent=f3978460-c5ed-012f-ef4f-58d385a7bc34#page/1/mode/2up">Book</a><br />
Source Description: 1 v. : col. ill. ; 23 cm.</p>
<p><span class="inline inline inline-center inline-center"><a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-07ed-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99" title="Pennsylvania type &quot;C 50&quot; automobile., Digital ID 1163724, New York Public Library"><img alt="Pennsylvania type &quot;C 50&quot; automobile., Digital ID 1163724, New York Public Library" height="183" src="https://images.nypl.org/?id=1163724&amp;t=w" title="Pennsylvania type &quot;C 50&quot; automobile., Digital ID 1163724, New York Public Library" width="300" /></a></span></p>
<blockquote>
<p>It cannot be questioned that the "valve-in-the-head" or hemispherical motor is more efficient than the inverted "L" head or "T" head type. ... When you want to drive a nail, hit it on the head; when you want to drive a piston, explode the charge directly over the piston, not in ante-chambers. Think it over. ...</p>
<p>The new group of "Pennsylvania 50's" will be practically the same as before. We carefully and faithfully recorded suggestions made by agents and customers, based upon thousands of miles, and found nothing worthy of consideration. ... Therefore, our Type "C 50" will be the same now and forever, as far as we can see.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr /><p><span class="inline inline inline-center inline-center"><a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47dd-fff4-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99" title="American motor car company, Indianapolis, Indiana., Digital ID 1159838, New York Public Library"><img alt="American motor car company, Indianapolis, Indiana., Digital ID 1159838, New York Public Library" height="188" src="https://images.nypl.org/?id=1159838&amp;t=w" title="American motor car company, Indianapolis, Indiana., Digital ID 1159838, New York Public Library" width="300" /></a></span></p>
<p><a href="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/oliver0001.jpg" rel="nofollow"><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img alt="" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" height="149" src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/images/oliver0001.inline vertical.jpg" title="" width="300" /></span></a></p>
Engineeringhttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2013/09/05/historical-automobile-catalogs-advertising#commentsThu, 05 Sep 2013 12:12:48 -0400Advertising Through Marching: Sheet Music at LPAhttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2012/08/24/advertising-through-marching-sheet-music
Karen Burke<p><a href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/lpa/music-division">The Music Division</a> has an amazing amount of sheet music, much of which is not listed in the online catalog. Over the years, some of this sheet music has been compiled into different collections. One of these collections called, P.I. Marches or Popular Instrumental Marches, contains marches that were arranged for the piano.</p>
<p>While compiling a database of these marches I came across several that were written as advertisements. These marches were published between 1897 and 1923. They represent a range of companies whose products were being advertised. These products ranged from common household goods such as Pride of the Kitchen Soap dedicated to the "Housekeepers of America," to the new wagons built by the Studebaker Vehicle Works of South Bend, Indiana.</p>
<p><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img alt="" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" height="300" src="/sites/default/files/images/soap_front_cover.inline vertical.jpg" title="" width="234" /></span>The "Eureka March," published in 1923, as well as the "Pride of the Kitchen Soap March" were accompanied by a song chorus. Here the housekeeper's helper is the Eureka Vacuum cleaner. "My one love is Eureka, no other shares my happy heart... from you, my love, I ne'er will part."</p>
<p><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img alt="" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" height="300" src="/sites/default/files/images/eureka.inline vertical.jpg" title="" width="235" /></span>In 1903, Uncle Sam Shoemakers of Springfield Massachusetts commissioned The "Uncle Sam Shoe March" to advertise their shoes for men. The sheet music not only contains the march, but also drawings of each of the shoes and their prices.<br /><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img alt="" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" height="300" src="/sites/default/files/images/shoes_front_0.inline vertical.jpg" title="" width="227" /></span><br /><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img alt="" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" height="300" src="/sites/default/files/images/shoes_ad.inline vertical.jpg" title="" width="218" /></span>In 1897, the Rose Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia commissioned a march in honor of its Neverout Patent Insulated-Kerosene Safety Lamp. The "Neverout" was the “light of the epoch” for bicycles and carriages. In that same year The Columbus Bicycle Co. of Columbus Ohio commissioned Fred Neddermeyer to write The "Columbus Bicycle March and Two Step."</p>
<p><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img alt="" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" height="300" src="/sites/default/files/images/neverout_light.inline vertical.jpg" title="" width="224" /></span></p>
<p><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img alt="" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" height="300" src="/sites/default/files/images/bicycle.inline vertical.jpg" title="" width="232" /></span>Two years later, in 1899 the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Co. commissioned L. Marda to write the "Studebaker Grand March" to celebrate the success of the Studebaker Company and its Vehicle Works. Before the Studebaker Brothers began manufacturing their automobile they produced wagons for every type of task. They started in humble beginnings in Pennsylvania, as pictured on the front cover of the sheet music, and expanded to a 98 acre factory in South Bend Indiana.</p>
<p> <span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img alt="" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" height="300" src="/sites/default/files/images/studebaker_front.inline vertical.jpg" title="" width="224" /></span></p>
<p><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img alt="" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" height="300" src="/sites/default/files/images/studebaker_back.inline vertical.jpg" title="" width="224" /></span>In 1916, Victor Herbert, the famous composer of operettas such as <a href="http://www.nypl.org/blog/2012/01/24/musical-month-babes-toyland"><em>Babes in Toyland</em></a> and <em><a href="http://www.nypl.org/blog/2012/05/25/musical-month-naughty-marietta">Naughty Marietta</a>, </em>wrote a march for and dedicated to the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World<em> </em>titled "The World's Progress." These advertising "Mad Men" of the early twentieth century commissioned a march to celebrate themselves! </p>
<p><span class="inline inline inline-middle inline-middle"><img alt="" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" height="300" src="/sites/default/files/images/advertisers_march.inline vertical.jpg" title="" width="260" /></span>All of these marches as well as some 2,500 more can be viewed at the Music Research Division, on the 3rd floor of <a href="/locations/lpa" rel="nofollow">The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts</a>. To see the full inventory of the marches, search BiblioCommons under the title: <a href="https://browse.nypl.org/iii/encore/search/C__S(Marches for piano)">Marches for piano</a> or the call number <a href="https://browse.nypl.org/iii/encore/search/C__SP.I.%20Marches__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&amp;suite=def">P.I. (Marches)</a>. <a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b19674876~S1">Here is a link to the catalog record</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
Advertisinghttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2012/08/24/advertising-through-marching-sheet-music#commentsFri, 24 Aug 2012 16:37:12 -0400Fashion Steps Back: Vintage Runway Pics Discovered at LPAhttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2011/09/09/fashion-steps-back-vintage-runway-pics-discovered-lpa
Jeremy Megraw, Photograph Librarian, Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center<p>Lincoln Center is all abuzz as it ramps up for another <a href="http://www.mbfashionweek.com/home" rel="nofollow">Fashion Week</a>. Fashion luminaries, hovering press reps, and harried show staff walk briskly across the Plaza towards the next scheduled event. The sense of anticipation is accompanied by the throbbing bass from the show tent, where models strut their stuff. For the in-crowd, the new look of tomorrow eclipses the desire to reflect on what has come before. But the scholars just next door in The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts relish the past. While Lincoln Center has always been considered the locus of cultural history as-it-happens, it also harbors cultural artifacts of yesteryear stored nearby in the archives of LPA. </p>
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<p><br /><span>As it happens, the Billy Rose Theatre Division at LPA is the unlikely home for a forgotten period of fashion history. British scholar Caroline Evans recently found a cache of 1915 photographs depicting what turns out to be one of the earliest fashion runway events, and the unlikely venue was a Vaudeville house on Broadway.</span><br /><br /><span>But first a little back-story: Fashion Week can be traced back to the 1940s, but the idea of the “runway” concept in the U.S. has much earlier origins...</span> </p>
<p><span class="inline inline"><a title="Fashion show keysheet, Digital ID 1710712, New York Public Library" href="http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/id?1710712"><img width="341" height="150" alt="Fashion show keysheet, Digital ID 1710712, New York Public Library" title="Fashion show keysheet, Digital ID 1710712, New York Public Library" src="https://images.nypl.org/?id=1710712&amp;t=w" /></a></span></p>
<p><span>It is the summer of 1914, and Edna Woolman Chase, the brand new editor-in-chief at <em>Vogue</em>’s New York offices, is nervous about the fall fashion outlook. The outbreak of World War I has threatened the infusion of European fashion into the American market, so Chase had to act. </span><span>To the question: “Where is fashion without the French?” The magazine boldly answered in its columns: “If there are more Paris fashions, <em>Vogue</em> will show them. If there are none, New York will set the mode”. </span><br /><br /><span>In this spirit, Chase decided to showcase American, and more specifically, New York-based fashion designers. In August 1914, she staged a fashion fête whose proceeds would benefit war orphans, and invited all of the local elite designers of the day to participate.</span></p>
<p><span> <span class="inline inline inline-right inline-right"><img src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/images/clips_tully_may_002_web.inline vertical.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" width="219" height="300" /></span></span></p>
<p><br /><br /><span>In 1915, Vaudeville pioneer May Tully took this idea further and staged a fashion show at the Palace Theatre. The show was such a success that it was repeated the next year to full houses. It toured the west coast soon after and was then eventually forgotten. The NY stage photographer White Studios photographed the show, but for whatever reason, the earliest images of the original production were never printed for publication. The photos, which survive only in the form of keysheets, came to the Library as part of the White Studio Collection, which document Broadway shows from 1910s to the 1920s. The collection is comprised of prints, keysheets, and an occasional negative. </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span class="inline inline inline-left inline-left"><a title="Fashion show keysheet, Digital ID 1710711, New York Public Library" href="http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/id?1710711"><img width="300" height="300" alt="Fashion show keysheet, Digital ID 1710711, New York Public Library" title="Fashion show keysheet, Digital ID 1710711, New York Public Library" src="https://images.nypl.org/?id=1710711&amp;t=w" /></a></span></p>
<p><span>One day while in the LPA’s Special Collections Room, British fashion scholar Caroline Evans pointed out one of these keysheets to us, entitled “Fashion Show,” and aided us in its identification. No derivative prints exist, and in one of history’s unfortunate ironies, the original negatives of this wartime runway were donated to the World War I effort to produce gas mask plates for troops.</span></p>
<p><br /><span>Nevertheless, what has survived is a remarkable visual document of the fashion mode of the day. The images on the keysheets feature in sufficient detail the suits, gowns, and evening wear of the day, but also the styles for house servants, polo players, and even magical nymphs — all of which Library users can enjoy for posterity.</span><br /><br /><span>For more on the history of Broadway’s influence on fashion, we recommend the new book </span><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b18888751~S1"><em><span>When Broadway Was the Runway</span></em></a><span>, by Marlis Schweitzer, a history of how the Broadway stage influenced fashion and consumer culture.</span></p>
<p><span>Recommended reading:</span> </p>
<ul><li><span>Marlis Schweitzer. </span><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b18888751~S1"><em><span>When Broadway Was the Runway</span></em></a><span>. </span><span>Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011.</span></li>
<li><span> "Patriotic Acts of Consumption: Lucile (Lady Duff Gordon) and the Vaudeville Fashion Show Craze." </span><em><span>Theatre Journal</span></em><span> 60.4 (2008): 585-608. </span><span><a href="http://muse.jhu.edu/search" rel="nofollow">Project MUSE</a></span><span>. Web. 7 Jun. 2011. &lt;<a href="http://muse.jhu.edu/&gt;" rel="nofollow">http://muse.jhu.edu/&gt;</a>.</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2173464/" rel="nofollow"><em><span>How the Runway Took Off A brief history of the fashion show</span></em></a><span>. </span><span>By Amanda Fortini</span></li>
</ul><p> </p>New York Cityhttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2011/09/09/fashion-steps-back-vintage-runway-pics-discovered-lpa#commentsFri, 09 Sep 2011 14:17:08 -0400Enabling Social Change with Social Media: An Interview with Toby Daniels, Founder of Social Media Weekhttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2011/02/02/enabling-social-change-social-media-interview-toby-daniels-founder-social-media-week
Angela Montefinise, Media Relations<p><span class="inline inline inline-right inline-right"><img src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/images/headshot_0.jpg" alt=" Crowdcentric" title=" Crowdcentric" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" width="275" height="183" /><span class="caption caption caption" style="border:1px solid #000000">Toby Daniels. Photo: Crowdcentric</span></span>Toby Daniels is a proud, self-proclaimed enabler.</p>
<p>The founder of <a href="http://socialmediaweek.org/" rel="nofollow">Social Media Week</a> (which is happening in nine cities, with an opening reception at NYPL, its global event partner) has worked tirelessly for years to bring social media tools into the hands of individuals, businesses, and non profits.</p>
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<p>“These tools are essentially available for free,” he said of social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, and so on. “The tools and technology are not a boundary to entry. They’re an enabler.”</p>
<p>Daniels’s company Crowdcentric owns and operates Social Media Week, which started in February 2009 in one city, NYC. About 3,000 people attended the 30 or 40 events Daniels hosted.</p>
<p>Only two years later, the completely free conference is biannual, and next week’s round is in nine cities, including London, Paris, Istanbul, São Paulo, and Hong Kong. There will be about 500 events across those cities with up to 20,000 attendees (about 6,000 in New York alone).</p>
<p>“The mission really globally is to explore how societies, cultures, and economies both at the local, regional, and global level are becoming more empowered by this emerging global network of communication,” Daniels said. “And what are the implications of that when you think about education and health care or government and civil society or the film industry, news, publishing. Think of an industry that isn’t being impacted by social mobile media. You’d be hard-pushed to.”</p>
<p>He mentioned social media’s impact on non-profits like <a href="http://www.nypl.org/">The New York Public Library</a>, which is hosting four <a href="http://www.nypl.org/node/106823">events plus the opening reception</a> at its landmark building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, the <a href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/schwarzman">Stephen A. Schwarzman Building</a>.</p>
<p>“[Non profits] have been able to start quickly, experiment, invest very little, and incrementally build on those successes over time, learning as they move forward from their mistakes and from the interactions they have with their users,” Daniels said. “There’s nothing, essentially, holding them back or making these kinds of strides.”</p>
<p>NYPL is the top public library on <a href="http://twitter.com/nypl" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> and on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/newyorkpubliclibrary" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a>, and has popular <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nypl/" rel="nofollow">Flickr</a> and <a href="http://nypl.tumblr.com/" rel="nofollow">Tumblr</a> pages as well.</p>
<p>“I think what the Library is doing is phenomenal,” he said. “I think it’s some of the smartest and most interesting stuff out there. I think a lot of people can learn from what you guys are doing. I don’t see very many [libraries] using social media. The future for any organization, obviously libraries included, is in being able to reach and engage your community through multiple mediums. The physical pieces will continue to be very important, but continuing to engage them elsewhere is incredibly important.”</p>
<p>The Library’s commitment to social media — and Daniels’s “passion for the space” on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street — made the two natural partners.</p>
<p>Two panel events are being held at the Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on February 8, 2011. The <a href="http://www.amiando.com/smwnynypl1.html?page=468406" rel="nofollow">first event</a>, at 11 a.m., will be on historical maps and how they can be made accessible and relevant using crowd-sourced, geo-rectifying technology. The <a href="http://www.amiando.com/smwnynypl2.html" rel="nofollow">second event</a>, at 2 p.m., will highlight NYPL’s successful Twitter model, which won a PR News Non-Profit PR Award in 2010.</p>
<p>On February 9, 2011, at 1:15 p.m., the <a href="http://www.amiando.com/nyplpowerofsocialmedia.html" rel="nofollow">third event</a> will take place at the <a href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/sibl">Science, Industry and Business Library</a> on Madison Avenue and 34th Street in partnership with The British Library’s Business &amp; IP Centre — it’s a live webcast about the value of social media in Britain.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.amiando.com/nyplcitizen.html" rel="nofollow">last event</a> at NYPL takes place on February 11 at 10 a.m. and is about the process of creating new resources to help researchers, students, geographers, urban planners, and the general public study 19th Century Manhattan.</p>
<p>“It’s important if you are in any biz where communication is fundamental to how you function how you reach, engage people, whether it be external or internal,” Daniels said. “Social Media represents an entirely new way to do that, so these panels should be really useful and important.”</p>
<p>Other locations for New York social media events include The Paley Center for Media, the Hearst Tower, The New York Stock Exchange, McGraw-Hill, Ogilvey &amp; Mather, Time Inc., and The New York Times Building, among others.</p>
<p>Visit NYPL on Facebook and check out the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150103277832351.293662.21557622350" rel="nofollow">Social Media Week photo album</a>!</p>
<p>This post was originally published in The Huffington Post. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-new-york-public-library" rel="nofollow">View more &gt;&gt;</a></p>Businesshttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2011/02/02/enabling-social-change-social-media-interview-toby-daniels-founder-social-media-week#commentsWed, 02 Feb 2011 11:57:11 -0500St. George Library Center Book Discussion of "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwellhttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2010/12/13/st-george-library-center-book-discussion-tipping-point-malcolm-gladwell
Donald Laub<p><span class="inline inline inline-left inline-left"></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/st-george-library-center">St. George Library Center</a> hosts a book discussion of <a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/search/Ytipping%20point%20gladwell"><em>The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference</em></a> by Malcolm Gladwell on Monday, January 24, 2011 at 6:30PM.</p>
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<p>About this book from NYPL Catalog entry: </p>
<p><em>"An introduction to the Tipping Point theory explains how minor changes in ideas and products can increase their popularity and how small adjustments in an individual's immediate environment can alter group behavior.</em></p>
<p><em>"Reveals how focused advertising and promotion to the "right" people can be much more effective than nationwide campaigns to the most people. Reprint. 100,000 first printing.</em></p>
<p><em>"The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate. This widely acclaimed bestseller, in which Malcolm Gladwell explores and brilliantly illuminates the tipping point phenomenon, is already changing the way people throughout the world think about selling products and disseminating ideas."</em></p>
<p>You will have to <a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/search/Ytipping%20point%20gladwell">reserve the book</a> and read it to take part in the book discussion. Please contact the <a href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/st-george-library-center">St. George Library Center</a> if you have any questions: 718-442-8560. </p>Nonfictionhttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2010/12/13/st-george-library-center-book-discussion-tipping-point-malcolm-gladwell#commentsMon, 13 Dec 2010 12:28:33 -0500Follow the Money (part 1 of 3): Social Media and the Big Spendershttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2010/06/02/follow-money-social-media-and-big-spenders-part-1
Ambrose Thompson<p><span class="inline inline inline-left inline-left"><img src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/images/markzuckerberg.inline vertical.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" width="300" height="214" /></span>Like a repeated news ticker, once again <a href="http://www.facebook.com/" rel="nofollow">Facebook </a> is in the news. As a high player in the social media marketplace, it comes as no surprise that Facebook would lead headlines, but unlike <a href="http://twitter.com/" rel="nofollow">Twitter </a>, who caught media attention for reaching a record of <a href="http://mashable.com/2009/10/19/5-billion-tweets/" rel="nofollow">5 billion </a> tweets last week, Facebook's latest news round is not so glamorous. It does boil down, however, to the fact that social media is a marketplace.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.pri.org/science/technology/facebook-s-privacy-invasion-can-t-stop-won-t-stop2020.html" rel="nofollow">Public Radio International</a> suspects that Facebook holds control over or, or access to, depending on one's viewpoint, to the largest photo collection in the world not to mention the private information of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics" rel="nofollow">400 million active users</a>. That is a lot of capital- 400 million people. In the world of social media where no tangible product is produced to fill market shelves for purchase, the money that does exchange hands does so over a new form of commerce, digital in form but just as real: social information.</p>
<p>Despite utopian dreams, information is rarely free. Someone is footing the bill for someone else to make money and in turn those footing the bill also hope to make money. It is a monetary loop. This loop doesn't run on electricity but the bits and bytes of information gathered from users who flock to such sites as Facebook because they think it is free.</p>
<p>Take Facebook, it is not an altruistic aggregator of people for the sole purpose of joining in conversations and sharing information. Facebook is in the social media world to make money, more money than it takes to cover the cost of software development, servers, and staff. So not only does Facebook spend money for users to interact for free, but it wants to bring in more money than it costs to provide the beloved service.</p>
<p>So where is Facebook getting all the money to make the CEO, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/2008-03-05-forbes-billionaires_N.htm" rel="nofollow">Zuckerberg</a>, the youngest self-made millionaire at the ripe old age of 23? Just as important is what is Zuckerberg selling? The answer is you of course. Zuckerberg is selling access to you and all the others who have made Facebook the potential <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2010/tc20100526_720314.htm" rel="nofollow">biggest consumer database</a> in the world. The other end of the question is who is buying? The answer again is simple- advertisers.</p>
<p>With so many users, Facebook can promise wide viewership as each profile page comes with a side bar of <a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1906792/how_does_facebook_make_money_pg2.html?cat=3" rel="nofollow">advertisements </a>that users are forced to see. From the advertiser’s point of view, a trapped audience is ideal when the numbers are so high, but again advertisers need to make money which can only be done if viewers purchase their wares. The better an ad is paired with an interested viewer, the more likely a purchase is made, and there is the catch. Facebook sells access to your interests and likes so that companies can target you as part of a dedicated mass mailing.</p>
<p>If you follow the money, it all makes sense. So play sensibly. The next time Facebook is in the news, take the sensation as a reminder that learning to share safely and sensibly is important in the digital age. Also remember that there is only so much safety that can be had, too, when playing in a volatile marketplace where you are at the mercy of big players out to make a monetary killing. You are the prey after all.</p>
<p>Read up on Internet Safety with books from the library or ask your local librarian for suggestions:</p>
<p><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b17089303~S1"><strong>Cyberdanger and Internet safety: a hot issue</strong></a> by <em>Jennifer Lawler</em></p>
<p><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b17255604~S97"><strong>MySpace unraveled : a parent's guide to teen social networking from the directors of BlogSafety.com</strong></a><strong> </strong> by <em>Larry Magid and Anne Collier</em></p>
<p><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b17621767~S97"><strong>The rough guide to MySpace</strong></a> by <em>Peter Buckley</em></p>
<p><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b18229288~S97"><strong>Using the Internet safely for seniors for dummies</strong></a> by <em>Linda Criddle and Nancy Muir<br /></em></p>
<p><a href="https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b17688357~S97"><strong>What in the world are your kids doing online? : how to understand the electronic world your children live in</strong></a> by <em>Barbara Melton and Susan Shankle</em></p>Market Researchhttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2010/06/02/follow-money-social-media-and-big-spenders-part-1#commentsWed, 02 Jun 2010 11:27:41 -04001984 Apple Commercialhttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2008/01/24/1984-apple-commercial
Vincenzo Rutigliano, Art &amp; Architecture Collection, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building<p>On January 24, 1984 Apple Inc. introduced us to the Macintosh. </p>
<p>During a break in the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII (January 22, 1984) a television commercial by Apple was aired to promote the Macintosh personal computer. The ad showed an unnamed heroine (played by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anya_Major" rel="nofollow">Anya Major</a>) wearing red shorts, red running shoes, and a white tank top with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Picasso" rel="nofollow">Picasso</a>-style picture of Apple’s Macintosh computer, running through an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orwellian" rel="nofollow">Orwellian</a> world to throw a sledgehammer at a TV image of Big Brother — an implied representation of IBM.” </p>
<p>This was followed by an on screen message and voice over stating: “On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like 1984.” (From <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_(television_commercial)" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia.org</a>) I love that quote “Picasso style picture”.</p>
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<p><span class="inline inline inline-center inline-center"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8&amp;amp;eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nypl.org%2Fblogs%2F2008%2F01%2F24%2F1984-apple-commercial&amp;amp;feature=player_embedded"><img src="//www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/images/apple1984.inline vertical.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image image image-inline image-inline vertical vertical" width="300" height="249" /></a></span></p>Advertisinghttps://www.nypl.org/blog/2008/01/24/1984-apple-commercial#commentsThu, 24 Jan 2008 14:53:32 -0500